Tassa

Tassa is a form of kettle drum. Tassa drums are widespread all over India, and was originated in Trinidad and Tobago. Typically, one or more nagara drums are played together with a heavy bass drum called dhol, along with brass cymbals or metal shakers called jhanj or jhaal. Tassa-dhol ensembles of three to five players are especially common in street processions, whether associated with Indian weddings, political rallies, or Muslim Ashura or Hosay commemorations. In Maharashtra, ensembles of several dozen drummers compete in festivities honoring the deity Ganesh. Drummers in these ensembles are often amateurs, or specialists in other drum traditions. Brought by indentured workers to the Caribbean in the 19th century, tassa ensembles have flourished with great dynamism in Trinidad and Tobago, where they were used in the Hindu Phagwah, Muslim Hosay festival, and also in Florida, Guyana, New York, Suriname, United Kingdom, the Netherlands, Texas, New Jersey, Canada and various other places where Indo-Caribbean communities are found.

Traditionally, the tassa is made by tightly covering a clay shell with goat skin; early tassa were covered in monkey skin as well. When ready to play, the goat skin is heated by aid of a fire to tighten the head, making the pitch higher. This process is called "standing it up". In this way, the pitch can stay high for 20–30 minutes. Now tassa drums are even made by cutting an empty coolant tank in half and attaching a synthetic drum skin to the top of it with nuts and bolts, welding it shut. Synthetic drums do last longer and do not have to be adjusted as frequently. Although synthetic drums last longer, they deviate from the long-standing tradition of clay and goatskin and do not sound as well.

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